Times of Trenton Letters to the Editor - Oct. 12

Guillaume Horcajuelo/EPALance Armstrong competes in the Tour de France in a file photo.

Sports doping was everywhere

I have never submitted a forum letter until today. I’m not a cycling fan, nor do I hold athletes in any high esteem. As I read the article regarding the prosecution of cyclist Lance Armstrong by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and the names of his 26 accusers, including 11 former teammates (“26 testify against Lance Armstrong in doping case,” Oct. 11), I can’t think of a bigger waste of taxpayer money. (Give me a minute and I’ll come up with a dozen more.)

If anyone should be prosecuted, it should be the U.S. anti-doping agents who turned their backs to the obvious issues in sports doping throughout the 1990s. I believe there is not one exceptional athlete who is not without some blame or culpability regarding doping during this time frame. It was done at the high school level, college level, amateur level and most certainly at all professional sports levels.

Stop wasting our tax dollars on old news and move forward, not backward. Are we to believe the athletes on the American team were the only cyclists trying to gain an edge over their competitors through doping? We may have done it better than some, but that is American ingenuity.

I urge the members of the USADA to put their egos aside and find a better way to waste our money.

-- Dan Serlenga,
Ringoes

Obama isn’t taking us where we need to go

The Obama administration has repeatedly stated that the deficit is the fault of the previous administration for having exhausted the budget surplus.

The current administration must believe that we should not have helped New York City, the Pentagon and families to rebuild their lives after 9/11, or put in place security measures at airports. And I guess it believes we should not have spent the money assisting those harmed by Hurricane Katrina.

This administration froze cost of living increases to Social Security for two years, and senior citizens were never made whole from that loss. Interest rates on savings are practically nonexistent, and home values have plummeted under this administration.
Gasoline prices have more than doubled, and food prices continue to rise. Medicare supplemental for 2013 indicates a 23 percent increase in monthly medical and a 27 percent increase for Part D. Additionally, this administration will not release changes to the Advantage plan until after the election.

Under health-care reform, there will be an appointed 15-member panel to decide how to control Medicare costs, which may mean deciding what medical procedures senior citizens can and cannot have.

Our foreign policy is a failure. And the president campaigns while the blood of our countrymen is shed in the Middle East. This path is not the path I would like for my family and future generations.

-- Kathy Vajo,
Hamilton

Make byways safer for everyone to use

AARP has long advocated on behalf of its members when it comes to issues that are geared toward making life better and communities more livable. Recently, Newark Mayor Cory Booker took actions that do just this by implementing Complete Streets polices.

Complete Streets policies are designed to make roads and communities safe for all, taking into consideration not only motorists, but our neighborhoods’ far-too-long-forgotten pedestrians, cyclists and public transportation users. The policies will not only make streets and communities safer for people of all ages but also potentially save lives. Better sidewalks, bike lanes, crosswalks and signage, among other improvements, will help encourage residents to get out and safely enjoy their communities.

Mayor Booker has said that the safety and security of residents should be a primary focus of local governments. AARP is asking residents of towns statewide to urge municipal officials to do just that: focus on the safety and the well-being of the people as they travel their towns’ roads, regardless of method of transport.

-- Janet Martin,
Newark
The writer is an AARP volunteer.

Fledgling united Princeton needs Lempert’s skills

I had the distinct honor of working with each of the candidates for mayor during my 27-year tenure as an elected official in Princeton Borough. I can categorically state that Princeton was the beneficiary of their outstanding service to the community.

I am, however, supporting Liz Lempert, because I think she has demonstrated the kind of leadership that Princeton needs at this time.

As mayor, I got to work more closely with the governing body members than would otherwise be the case. Because there are 16 shared departments between Princeton Borough and Princeton Township, there are constant interchanges between the two municipalities. I had the opportunity to interact with Ms. Lempert on many issues that were germane to the Princeton community and witnessed firsthand her ability to get things done. She listens well, she can communicate with all members of our diverse community — residential, educational and business — and she has shown her ability to be fiscally responsible.

We will achieve the full benefits of consolidation and have a responsible government if we have leaders who can move us through the process as seamlessly as possible while maintaining a balance among economic opportunities, fiscal constraints and an abiding commitment to democratic principles and values. Ms. Lempert has demonstrated these qualities and characteristics.

I hope that voters will agree with me and support Democrat Liz Lempert on Nov. 6.

-- Mildred T. Trotman,
Princeton
The writer is former mayor of Princeton Borough.

Maybe candidate isn’t quite so ‘independent’

Even though, occasionally, you will find a legitimately good independent candidate, I have found from experience that, many times, the so-called “independent” turns out to be a shill for one of the other major parties, or has some kind of hidden agenda.
Many times, the electorate gets conned into thinking it is voting for a reformer or someone who is not controlled by party politics, but behind the scenes, he or she is. Sometimes these independents are encouraged to run as spoilers to take voters away from an opponent.

Even though I believe most Libertarian Party activists are sincerely dedicated, I sense this year that many Democratic operatives are boosting that party in order to draw votes away from the GOP candidates.

In turn, some of these operatives have infiltrated Tea Party groups throughout the state and are encouraging members to vote for their preferred spoiler.

One method to spot some of these is that they are many times sympathetic toward the Occupy Wall Street Movement.

-- Joseph A. Lypowy,
Toms River

We can’t endure another war

The saber-rattling has begun. Americans, pay attention! The Republicans’ foreign policy sounds like a return to war.

Romney men have not served in the military; they expect other people’s children to do the fighting and incur the resulting deaths, brain damage and/or PTSD. Mitt Romney demonstrated in support of the Vietnam War but didn’t put himself in harm’s way in Vietnam. Taking three deferments, he went to France instead, where he served as a missionary.

My husband, a Vietnam veteran with Special Forces, had a word for people like that: chicken hawk.

When the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are no longer making money for billionaires and companies like Halliburton, I fear that Romney and Ryan supporters will be looking for another war to increase their bank accounts. Mr. Romney and Paul Ryan’s statements indicate that they believe bullying, insulting and threatening other countries is the way to keep the peace. They ridicule diplomacy.

My heart aches for all the Americans and innocent people who have been killed by the unnecessary war in Iraq.

I am filled with dread that another Republican administration would repeat the 2000-2008 agenda.